Centrifugal liquid-separator.



PATENTED APR. 10,1906.

G. J. BRAGG. OENTRIFUGAL-LIQUID SEPARATOR.-

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1905.

iNVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESSES PATENTE-D APR. 10, 1906.

G. J. BRAGG.

- GENTRIFUGAL LIQUID SEPARATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1 905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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I NINA I i3 kw! INVENTOR 'J' ATTORNEY UNITED sriirns PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE J. Bruise, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY. CENTBIFUGAL uoum-sEPA A'r'oR.

mac ines for separating liquids of .diflerent io specific gravities, and is particula'rlyintended for use as a cream-separator, and in the fol- 1 lowing specification will be referred to asuza cream-separator,

' adaptedfor use as such, though it will be un- .derstood that I do not limit myself to the use of improved separator in-separating cream from milk, but, to the contrary, may use such machine for any purpose for whic it is suitable. p 2o invention consists in the novel means emfi; pyed for directingthe blue milk or skimmi to the proper outlets therefor, in the novel construction ofthe skiinmin devices, and in other features of invention, a l as here inafter described, and particularly pointed outin the following claims. The objects of my invention are to facili tate the thorou h cleanin of cream-separators, ;to avoid. t e use of t e commonlysem- 3o ployed blue-milk tubes attached to the. cover, which are difiicult to clean; to ,improve'and sim lify the skimmin devices employed; to

fa'ci itate the assemb ing and separation of the parts; to cheapen the construction of the 3 5 separator, and enerally to make the separator eflicient, r iable, easy to operate, and 'free from liability-to derangement.

- I will now roceed" to describe my invention with rei 4o. drawings and will then point out the no featuresin claims.

.In the said drawings, Fi re 1 shows a cen-' an vertical section of the owl and a 'partial central section and partial elevation of the skimmingdevices of a cream-separator con-.

corrugations being spiral. Fig. 6 shows aside View, and Fig. 7 a top view, of the cone employed to direct the blue milk to the out lets therefor. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filediieptambor 22, 1905. semi No. 279.6-16.

and will be described as erence to the accompanying.

Patented April 10, 1906.

1, illustrat'in an alternative construction of bowl-top an an alternative form of evice for directing the blue milk to the pro er outlets. Fig. 9 is a partial elevation an partial section of this alternative form of, directingcone, and Fig. 10 shows a detail vertical section of theupper portion of a separatingbowl and directing-cone, illustrating an alternative construction of said cone and of the bowl-top.

In the drawings I do not illustrate a complete cream-separator, as it will be understood that the bowl and contained parts are adapted to be employed in the customary 7o manner.

, Referring now to theaccompanying drawings; and at first to Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, the

separator-bowl comprises, as is customary, a Cy inder 1, closed at the bottom and provided with a spindle 2, by ,which it may be rotated, and a removable cover 3, having at the top a central orifice for the entrance of the whole-milk. In line, with this opening is the feed tube 4;, which in the construction shown is a plain tube havin openings 5 near its bottom for the flow of the milk out into the main portion of the separator-bowl.

The cover 3 is provided with the usual outlet-orifices 6 for the blue milk or skim milk; but contrary to common practice I do not provide these orifices in a cylindrical neck projecting, upwardly from the conical portion of the cover, but instead provide said orifices in the conical portion of the cover. Said orificesare formed by short tubes projectin slightly from a ring '7', formed on the outsi e of the cover. Contrary to common practice, I do not convey the'blue milk to these orifices through small tubes secured to 5 the inside of'the cover, which tubes are highly objectionable, because they are "difiicult to clean, because their interior surfaces cannot be exposed to the sterilizing actlon of sunlight, and for other well-known reasons; but roo -face-so that between the cone and theinner surface of the cover there is a passage throu h which blue milk may flow from near the Si This cone 8 ispreferably-drawn or pressed,

so that it is seamless, and its upper portion is e of the bowl upward to the outlets 6.

' 50 upon the efficiency of the action of the" sep capable of fittingcloscly age-inst the inner surface of thecover, preventing the Ieaka e of blue milk upward past the openings 6.'

further reduce the possibility of such leak age, Imay provide in the cover 3 agroove 10, communicating with the openings 6. Gentrifugalforce tends to draw into this groove y However, this groove is'not absolutely necessary, and I may dispense with it, as shown iircertain'of'the following views, for since the openin s 6. are in the conical portion of I 5 the cover t ere is little tendency for liquid to flow between the cone 8 and the, cover pp above the openings" 6, provided said open,

ings' are of fproper size, owing to the smaller diameter 0 the space above said openings 6. 2O

. [vide the usual cream-outlet 11, which may be provided with any usual or' customary de-- yi ce, such as the cream-screw shown, for adust1ng' the quaht or richness of the cream.

' An suitable s device or devices i may e employed in the owl; but the skimming devices preferred by me and which form one feature of my invention compriseia plurality of cones, which alternately are coro rugated cones 12 and plain cones -13.v The plain and corru'gt ted cones together form passages extendingupward and inward toward the cream-space. To facilitate thecollectionof the cream'globul'es on the surface 3 5 of the cones and their; passage inward and the.

corresponding passage outward of blue milk, I provide thejcorrugations with openings I'4 near or in their bases, and rovide other openings 15 near the apices o the corrugaac tions. The plain cones 13 may also be erforated, but referably not above half ,t eir 'he' ht, and may not perforate them at all,

t is appears more desirable. In operation the cream globulescollect on the surfaces of the cones and pass inward, the cream gathermg on' t e corrugated cones Ipassing through the openmgs14, while the lue nulk bei heavier passes out through openings 15. The angle of these cones has an important effectrfit,or. I have determined ex 'erimenta 1y t atan angle of about'fifty-five agrees gives the hi hest efiiciency and believe such an an gle to e preferable. f

The corrugations of the'cones may be radial, as mdicated inFigs. 2 and 3, or they may be spiral, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the

. latter construction being the one which I prefer. When the direction of rotation of the -m Tqfis cloelswisa asgs assumed in the con struction shown, the twist of the corru ations should preferably be upward and in t e same direction, as shown, as this causes the most impingement of the fat globules against 6 5- the corrugations of the cones.

lquid'which might'otherwisetend to. pass upward between the upper portion. of- 10 the cone8 and the innersurface ofthe cover.

In the-upper portion of the cover I pro-" ferred,.however, it may be provided, as i l us-- trated in F .3. In 8 58189 illustrate an alternative device for'conveymg the blue milk to the outlets 6. .In t construction thecone 8 fits the inside of the cover closely throughoutits length-but is rovided on its inner side-with tubesiawhie .formblue-milktubesl Tubes, such as, 16, on the inside of the cone 8 are not as objectionable as tubes on the inside of the cover, accordin to former constructions, especiall when t e blue-milk outlets are in'the conic portion: of the cover, for then the tubes may be straight up to the orifices in the sides of the cone, and, moreover, are short,

and arethus easy to clean. Moreover, they may be of large size and this fact'and the relative lightness of. the cone 8 make it easy to has the tubes clean. In the construction shown in ,Fig. 10 the blue milk passes to the outlets 6- throu h an annular'spac'e between theicone 8 an the cover; but instead of formlng'a shoulder on the cone above the openingst, as in Fig. 1, I

provide theshoulder on the cover,the cone 8 eing a plain cone except for the bosses 9.

In the operation of myi roved separator in its'various forms the who e-rnilk enters the feed-tube 4 and passes out through the openings 5 in the bottom thereof,-into the main portion of the bowl. Said bowl being in rapid rotation, the centrifugal force causes the'cream to pass .iriwardthrough the channels between the plaid-and erforated cones to the'central port onof the owl and thence to pass upward to theziYe'am-outlet, the finer cream particles collecting on the surfaces of the cones and then passing in with the others.

,The blue milk, onth'efcontrary, being forced to the outer. ortionof the bowl passes up along the wal of the bowl and thence to the blue-milk outlets. Theblue milk and cream may be caught in pans-in the ordinary mannor. 1 i

The cones 8, l2, and 13 I customarily form ofthin sheet metal, said cones being drawn or pressed to shape, so as tobe seamless. When the parts are all in place within the} bowl and the top 3 thereof screwed down, the? cones-are all pressed together tightly and the" cone'8 is pressed tightly against the top 3.

By reason of the r simple form the cones 8 12, and 13 are easily formed and are dhpable of being formed with great accuracy..\ The 0 the 3 is also such that said top may beforme relatively easily. As will be seen, It is a simple matter to remove thecontents of the bowl and also to replace the same properly, and all of the parts being small and of simple form it is very easy to clean them thoroughly. The absence of the customary skim-milk tubeson the inner surface of the top 3 makes it particularly easy to clean said top thoroughly, a matter of much importance, and also makes it easy to balance th bowl.

What I claim is. 1. In a centrifugal liquid-separator, the combination with a separator-bowl and a top therefor having an inclined surface and having an outlet for the heavier liquid in such inclined surface, of a removable taperin cap within the top, fitting closely to the inc 'ned surface of the top above the heavy-liquid outlet and provided with means forming a'passage to direct the heavy liquid to the outlet.

2. In a centrifugal liquid-separator, the combination with a separator-bowl and a top therefor having an inclined surface and having an outlet for the heavier liquid in such inclined surface, of a liner for saidbowl and a removable cap surniounting the liner and fitting closely to the inclined surface of the top above the heavy-liquid outlet and providedwith means forming a assage to direct the heavy liquid to the out et.

3. In a centrifugal liquid-separator, the combination with a separator-bowl and a top therefor having an inclined surface and having an outlet for the heavier liquid in such in: clined'surface, of a liner for said bowl and a removable cap surmounting the liner, said. cap being formed of thin sheet metal. and ar rangedto be pressediupagainstthe inner surface of the top above the heavy-liquid outlet and being provided with means forming a assage to direct the heavy liquid to the out et.

4. Ina centrifugal liquid separator, the combination with a separator-bowl and a top therefor having an inclined surface and having an outlet for the heavier liquid in such inclined surface, of a removable liner-cap withi in-the bowl and fitting closely to the inclined surface ofthetop above the heavy-1i uid out 1 ,let and'separa'tedjrom such incline surface below the outlet byaspaceforming a liquidpassage, said cap being provided with projectionsengaging" the top and serving to maintain the passage.

5'. In a centrifugal liquid-separator, the combination with a separator-bowl of skimming means therein comprising a plurality of hollow truncated cones arran 'ed one above the other within saidbowl, a ternate cones having corrugated and plane surfaces, the corrugated cones being perforated .at the upper apices of the corrugations.

' 6. n a centrifugal liquid-separator, the

combination with a separator-bowl of skimming means therein comprising a plurality of hollow truncated cones arran ed one above the other within said bowl, alternate cones bein corrugated and. the others plane-surface the corrugated cones having perforations at about the bottoms of their corrugations and also perforations near the tops of such corrugations. 7. In acentrifugal liquid-separator, the

combination with a separator-bowl of skim-- mingmeans therein comprising a plurality of hollow truncated cones arran ed one above the other within said bowl, a lternate cones being corrugated at an angle to the radius of the bowl and the others plane-surfaced, said corrugated cones being provided with perfo rations permitting inflow of cream particles and outflow of blue milk.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE J BRAGG. lfitnesses H. M. MARBLE,

L. S. ANDREWS, Jr 

